Antetokounmpo, Allen lead Bucks past short-handed 76ers

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Grayson Allen scored 25 points and hit a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers 1118-109 on Tuesday night.

Bobby Portis added 19 points for the NBA champions, who played a day after celebrating the franchise’s first title in 50 years with a trip to visit President Joe Biden at the White House. The Bucks won for just the second time in the last seven.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for the 76ers, who played without four-time All-Star Joel Embiid for the second consecutive game. Embiid was one of four 76ers out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, along with Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe.

Seth Curry (left foot contusion) also sat for the 76ers, and Ben Simmons (personal reasons) hasn’t played all season.

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All of the absences led Philadelphia general manager Daryl Morey to tweet Tuesday afternoon that “the hits just keep on coming”

But the 76ers left the court in defeat to applause from the normally demanding home crowd, which recognized the strong effort put forth by a Philadelphia team that started Shake Milton, Maxey, Furkan Korkmaz, Paul Reed and Andre Drummond.

Philadelphia took its last lead of the contest on Maxey’s bank shot that made it 102-101 with 5:43 left. Consecutive 3-pointers by Portis and Pat Connaughton put the Bucks ahead 107-102, and Allen all but sealed it with a 3 that put the Bucks up 114-107 with 1:30 to play.

The 76ers led by as many as 13 in the opening 24 minutes, when Milton’s 3 made it 48-35 with 8:10 left in the second quarter. But the Bucks scored 21 of the next 27 and went in front on Allen’s 3 with 2:12 to play before the break.

The Bucks pushed their advantage to eight early in the third on George Hill’s follow shot, but Philadelphia didn’t wilt. The 76ers went ahead 90-89 on Green’s 3-pointer with 1:49 left in the third and finished the period in front 93-91 thanks to Drummond’s tip of Maxey’s miss with 1.5 ticks left.

Drummond had 17 points and 20 rebounds. Milton scored 20 points and Georges Niang chipped in 21.